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other hand, Duke John of Burgundy, who had collected A.D. 1405. a great army to protect his country against his adversaries, ordered the Lord of Croy and others of his captains to move towards the frontiers of Flanders, to resist any such or such like enterprise which the English might attempt, and to fight them if they returned any more. Afterwards the duke despatched an embassy, which he sent to the King of France, the Duke of Orleans, and others of the great council, to seek assistance in men and money to besiege Calais, which he was very desirous of doing, but a negative reply was given to the ambassadors by the Duke of Orleans and the great council. Nevertheless, the Duke of Burgundy having heard his ambassadors relate the answer made to them, prepared to go to Paris in person the better to conduct and expedite his business; wherefore he departed from Flanders and came to Arras, where he had several great councils on his affairs with certain lords his faithful friends and subjects. Now let us leave off speaking of this matter and enter upon another according to our plan.

How Duke John of Burgundy had the government of Picardy, of the embassy from England, and of the state of Sir Clugnet of Brabant. CHAPTER XV.

AT the beginning of the year one thousand four A.D. 1406. hundred and six, good Duke John of Burgundy, by grant of the King of France and the Dukes of Orleans and Berri and of all the royal council, received the government of the country of Picardy. And he sent on his behalf to the frontiers Sir William of Vienne, lord of Saint George, with six hundred helinets and many Genoese crossbowmen, where they were placed in garrison, and thus they made great war on

A.D. 1406. the English, who likewise were not idle, so that the

country was greatly spoiled, overrun, and pillaged by the two parties. At this time the King of England, by the advice of his barons, sent a notable embassy to the King of France, that is to say, the Earl of Pembroke, the Bishop of Saint Davids, and other knights and esquires, who being come to Paris, asked that a truce might be made between the two kingdoms of France and England, the kings and their allies, so that merchandise might take its course; and at the same time they asked of the King of France that he would give and grant his elder daughter the Lady Isabel, formerly the wife of King Richard, in marriage to the eldest son of the said King Henry, on condition that the said King Henry immediately after the marriage was confirmed should place his kingdom in the hands of the said son, and should have him crowned king; which request being heard and understood by the royal council of France, was during several days put forward and debated in different views; but finally, owing to the deceit which had been observed before amongst the English as well on account of the death of King Richard, as of other things concerning this business, nothing was granted to them. And on the other hand, the Duke of Orleans thinking to have the said daughter in marriage for Charles his eldest son, as he afterwards had, prevented their getting what they sought. When the ambassadors from England had their answer and saw that they could gain nothing, they took leave of the King of France and of all the barons, and departed and returned to England much vexed that they had been able to achieve nothing, and they being come before King Henry reported to him what they had found, at which he was greatly angered, and expressly ordered all his captains being on the frontiers of France, Flanders, Picardy, and Acquitaine, to make the strongest war they could, or knew

The A.D. 1406.

how to make, incessantly against the French.
King of France seeing the war thus stirred up,
ordered Sir Clugnet of Brabant, who had newly
received the office of Admiral of France, to go to
Harfleur, with six hundred men-at-arms at the charges
of the crown, at which place he found twelve galleys
ready to put to sea and carry on war against the English,
and to [enable him to] take possession of his said office;
but when he was about to embark on his ship he was
forbidden by order of the king to go any further, so he
returned to Paris. At the same time great alliances were
made between the Dukes of Orleans and Burgundy,
they promising each other to maintain fraternity and
love all their lives, during which thing, Charles son
of the said Duke of Orleans took to wife Madame
Isabel, formerly wife of King Richard of England,
at which [ceremony] there was great solemnity. After
these nuptials were over the Court departed, and the
Duke of Orleans took away his daughter-in-law,
Isabel his niece, daughter of the King of France
his brother, with Charles his son, and they went to
the Castle of Therey. On the other hand, Duke John
of Burgundy returned to his countries of Artois and
Flanders and sent for, from his country of Burgundy
six hundred fighting men, whom he sent into garrison
on the frontiers of Boullenois against the English. At
this time and season the Earl of Northumberland
and the Lord Percy came to the King of France to
pray and piteously entreat him that they might have
men-at-arms to make war on the King of England,
promising the said King of France that if he would
do this for them they would serve him for ever, and
for the keeping of their promise would give him as
hostages some of their nearest relations and friends;
but to be brief, they profited nothing, but returned
quite out of countenance.

A.D. 1406. How the Duke of Orleans besieged the towns of Blaines and Bourg. CHAPTER XVI.

THE Duke of Orleans, by order of the King of France, set out from Paris to go into Aquitaine, with a great force of men-at-arms and archers, to the number of six thousand fighting men. He took with him Sir Charles de Labrech, Constable of France, the Marquis Du Pont, son of the Duke of Bar, the Count of Clermont, Lord of Montagu, Grandmaster of the household of France, and many other great lords, who together besieged the town of Blaines, which they sorely tormented with their engines, so that the lady of the place made terms through her people with the Duke of Orleans, promising him to surrender the said town of Blaines, provided that he could subdue the town of Bourg, which the said duke had promised to besiege, and besides, the said lady promised that during the siege she would cause victuals to be served out to the men-at-arms at a fair price. This treaty concluded, the Duke of Orleans wishing to keep faith with the lady, raised his siege from before Blaines and went to besiege Bourg, which was then well garrisoned with valiant knights and men-at-arms, as well English as Gascons, and besides was well furnished with provisions and artillery, and all instruments of war; nevertheless they were much damaged by the French, and their walls broken down by the engines, but against all assaults they defended themselves valiantly. During the siege Sir Clugnet of Brabant, then Admiral of France, put to sea with twenty-two ships full of men-at-arms with the intention of resisting and fighting against the fleet which King Henry had then sent to sea to fight the French; so the two forces met at sea; immediately they sighted each other, each party put itself into good order and

they neared each other. At the meeting of the ships A.D. 1406. there was a great clamour and noise set up with trumpets and clarions, each side exerting themselves to attack and defend, firing cannons and hurling lances and darts so that it was horrible to see. Those aloft in the scuttles or tops threw down iron bars below on the men-at-arms and archers, whereby both parties had many slain and wounded; and they fought so that in the end there was no one who was not pleased to retire from the attack, nor any who could then say with whom remained the honour or victory, but they went some this way and some that way; nevertheless the French lost there one of their ships in which were several gentlemen, amongst whom were Lyonnel de Brancquemont, Annieux de Saint Martin, and several other of the people of the Duke of Orleans, at which the admiral was much vexed.

sea.

After this affair the lords set out on their return, (that is to say, Sir Clugnet, Sir William de Vieulaines, Captain of La Rochelle, Sir Jacques de Savoisi, and the others,) and went to the siege before Bourg, where they related to the Duke of Orleans the adventure they had had at The duke after he had been three months at the siege of Bourg, seeing the strength of the place and the valiant men within, with the great discomfort and mortality which had smitten his host, determined with his captains to return to Paris, dismissing his men-atarms; for which return the people of France and a great part of the nobles murmured against him, because on account of this army there had been levied through the kingdom a great subsidy. On the other hand, the ships of the English, which as I have said were at sea, hearing of the raising of the siege of Bourg, returned to England to King Henry, that is to say, the captains of the army, the Earl of Warwick, the Earl of Arundel, and other knights and esquires, who

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